(Salzburg, Austria to Berchtesgaden, Germany via train; back to Salzburg by bike)
View 2008-05-13b Berchtesgaden, Germany to Salzburg, Austria in a larger map
Highlights: taking the day off, wasting the morning, hurrying the afternoon, getting upset, watching "The Sound Of Music"
Fortress Hohensalzburg...(Salzburg)
...with view north from the top...(Salzburg)
...and view south from the top (Salzburg)
Mirabell Garden (Salzburg)
Schloss Hellbrunn (south of Salzburg)
On the way down from Berchtesgaden (south of Marktschellenberg)
Journal: Today was one of those days where I tried doing one too many things on my off day in Salzburg and the whole plan backfired. Originally I was going to take a morning train to Berchtesgaden, Germany (about 20 miles away near the base of the Alps) & ride my bike back down to Salzburg for fun. Berchtesgaden is famous for being on the way to Hitler's former summer mountain retreat in Obersalzberg. I'm not much on history sometimes but was looking forward to seeing Hitler's former residence until I learned it was closed to the public. In doing so i broke unwritten rule #1 of bike touring: for important information (directions, distances, etc.) ask at least two people until you get the same answer. By not doing so, I decided to take a guided tour of Salzbug in the morning & save Berchtesgaden for the afternoon (simply to relax & to enjoy the scenery).
Just before the tour began, the tour guide told me I COULD in fact visit the the famous Eagle's Nest building above Obersalzberg (with fabulous views of the valley below), but that I should budget enough time for the journey. I foolishly decided to try to do both things in one day without knowing how long it would take to get to Eagle's Nest or how much it would cost. During the entire guided tour of town I was distracted & did not listen well or enjoy the sights. At the end I hurried to the top of the in-town Fortress Hohensalzburg for some spectacular views of the city, then raced back to the youth hostel to grab my bike and ride as quickly as possible to the train station. Barely made it in time to catch the train to Berchtesgaden that finally arrived there around 2:55. Then I found out the last bus to Obersalzburg for the day departs at 3:10. Great, so I made it...except I didn't have enough cash left for the trip & entry fee. Twice earlier in the day I had tried unsuccessfully to get more money (found the bank once, but not the cash machine; the machine was out-of-order the other time). The only ATM machine in Berchtesgaden was a "10-minute walk" so I tried riding my bike there quickly. Well, it took me 10 minutes on two wheels, so by the time I had money again I had missed the last bus. Then I briefly considered riding up to the museum at Obersalzburg until I saw the sign for a 24 percent road grade and finally gave up.
Very pissed off, I moped about for several minutes before deciding to just ride back to Salzburg. I could try to return to Obersalzburg & Eagle's Nest first thing tomorrow morning, but that would add more stress to the day (since I still need to ride at least 70km to meet Joe in time on Thursday morning); everything would feel rushed and I wouldn't enjoy much. Guess I will have to come back another time if I'm still in the mood to visit. The ride back to Salzburg did help make me feel better (constant beautiful scenery and mostly downhill or flat), as did a beer and movie ("Sound Of Music" of course) back at the youth hostel. Tomorrow I will plan for an early start & some relaxed riding again
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